About Us | Liberal Democracy in Africa

The Africa Liberal Network (ALN) was launched in June 2003, as an alliance of African liberal democratic political parties. The ALN is also an associated organisation of Liberal International, the political family that liberal democratic parties belong to.

Vision

The ALN has a vision of a prosperous and integrated Africa of flourishing democracies that are at peace with one another, in which every person has the right and opportunity to fulfil their potential and be what they want to be.

Mission

The ALN’s mission is to empower liberal parties to grow their support, to increase their influence on politics and to implement liberal policies when in government.

Our Vision | Liberal Democracy Flourishing in Africa

Launched in June 2003, the Africa Liberal Network (ALN) is a network of African Liberal Democratic political parties and is an associated organisation of Liberal International, the political family to which Liberal Democratic parties belong.

Through our work with member parties, the ALN aims to spread Liberal values across the African continent by:

Championing Liberal policy solutions to Africa’s challenges.

Capacitating Liberal Democratic member parties with the skills they need to win elections and run governments based on Liberal values.

Providing a platform for like-minded Liberals in Africa to network and share information, experience, skills, and ideas.

All members of the network are bound by a policy stating that they exist to ensure the freedom and dignity of all people through establishing political and civil rights, ensuring basic freedoms and the rule of law, supporting democratic governance based on free and fair elections with peaceful transition, ensuring religious, gender and minority rights, fighting corruption and establishing free market economies.

A Brief History of the Africa Liberal Network

The ALN developed from what was originally called the Organisation of African Liberal Parties. It was established during an initial meeting of parties in Mombasa in July 2001, and was launched formally at a subsequent meeting in Johannesburg in June 2003. At the meeting, the Johannesburg Declaration was adopted, committing the parties to the core principles of liberal democracy.

The ALN was offered a temporary Secretariat at the Liberal Democrats’ headquarters in London, before establishing a permanent presence in the Republic of South Africa, where the ALN Secretariat is now hosted by the Democratic Alliance, at their National Head Office in Cape Town. The Westminster Foundation for Democracy is the main source of support for the ALN Secretariat. However, to ensure its sustainability, the ALN has maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with other partners, including the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, and is continuously seeking to diversity and broaden its support and partnership base to include other institutions.